Raymond James Has Optimistic Outlook of MERC FY2024 Earnings

Mercer International Inc. (NASDAQ:MERC) (TSE:MRI.U) – Raymond James boosted their FY2024 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Mercer International in a report released on Monday, January 20th. Raymond James analyst D. Swetlishoff now anticipates that the basic materials company will earn ($1.44) per share for the year, up from their previous forecast of ($1.62). The consensus estimate for Mercer International’s current full-year earnings is ($1.62) per share. Raymond James also issued estimates for Mercer International’s FY2025 earnings at ($0.29) EPS and FY2026 earnings at ($0.04) EPS.

Mercer International (NASDAQ:MERC) (TSE:MRI.U) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The basic materials company reported ($0.26) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.29) by $0.03. The business had revenue of $502.14 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $485.84 million. Mercer International had a negative return on equity of 17.62% and a negative net margin of 9.33%. Mercer International’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned ($0.39) EPS.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently commented on MERC. StockNews.com raised shares of Mercer International from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $7.00 price target on shares of Mercer International in a report on Monday, November 4th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat, Mercer International has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $8.25.

Mercer International Price Performance

Mercer International stock opened at $6.51 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $6.41 and a 200-day moving average of $6.65. The company has a quick ratio of 2.39, a current ratio of 3.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.09. Mercer International has a twelve month low of $5.33 and a twelve month high of $11.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $435.32 million, a PE ratio of -2.30 and a beta of 1.29.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Mercer International

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MERC. Quantbot Technologies LP grew its holdings in shares of Mercer International by 505.8% in the 3rd quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 49,483 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $335,000 after acquiring an additional 41,315 shares in the last quarter. Entropy Technologies LP bought a new stake in Mercer International during the third quarter worth about $75,000. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Mercer International by 1.7% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 525,532 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,559,000 after purchasing an additional 8,957 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its stake in Mercer International by 22.7% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 36,661 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $248,000 after purchasing an additional 6,786 shares in the last quarter. 85.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Mercer International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 26th. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 18th were given a $0.075 dividend. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.61%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 18th. Mercer International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -10.60%.

Mercer International Company Profile

Mercer International Inc, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells northern bleached softwood kraft (NBSK) and northern bleached hardwood kraft (NBHK) pulp worldwide. The company operates through two segments, Pulp and Solid Wood. It manufactures, sells, and distributes pulp, electricity, and chemicals through pulp mills.